Friday, March 24, 2006

I would like to share some great news! My good friend, Jenn, just found out that she is pregnant for the first time! CONGRATULATIONS! I wanted to share that news with all the Pregnancy Weekly blog visitors. Welcome to the world of pregnancy Jenn!
I know that I was nervous once I found out that I was pregnant, but extremely thrilled at the same time. When I think back about the first time I heard the results, it makes me smile and honestly brings a tear to my eye. (Damn, this pregnancy has made me so emotional!) I didn't know who to tell first or even how to spread the news. Of course, I was going to tell my husband, but I wanted to be clever about it! Ha-Ha! How ridiculous I was! Good memories. I feel like that was so long ago. 10 weeks ago to be exact!
I am so proud of Jen. Not only is she a beautiful, confident women, she is powerful and self-assured. Jenn has decided to go through this pregnancy as a single mother. She has the strength of raising a baby on her own. I will be there for her, whenever she needs me. I wish you the best!
Please, share your comments and congratulate Jenn. She would love to hear the support. As every pregnant woman does!
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Thursday, March 23, 2006

I hope you all can help us here. I was having this discussion with a girlfriend of mine and we were arguing about Angelina Jolie flying plane while being 7 1/2 months pregnant. Is she crazy? I believe that she should play it safe. Meaning NOT flying a plane until after her baby is born. My girlfriend cleary disagreed with me.
Whether or not the climate was perfect to fly a plane, it doesn't matter. Angelina seemed completely unconcerned with any pregnancy risks. She even had a difficult time getting into the plane. Don't force it when it doesn't fit. She was huffing and puffing and needed help!
"A woman with a history of fainting [which Angelina has!] needs to be very careful at a high altitude," says Dr. Duncan J. Turner, an OB/GYN in Santa Barbara, Calif., who has not treated Jolie. "She must always have a copilot with her, ready to take over.
This is right up their with sky diving while pregnant. Okay, that would be worse. But flying a small plane is pretty unsafe! What does everyone think about this maneuver?
pregnancybabypregnantAngelina Jolieinfantweeklypregnancy weeklyplaneexpecting7 months

I was searching through Yahoo! Health and I found their pregnancy section that I thought everyone would find interesting. I don't know how long Yahoo! has had the pregnancy health section, but its new to me.
Yahoo! breaks pregnancy down into five stages:
-Planning for a Healthy Pregnancy
-Your First Trimester
-Your Second Trimester
-Your Third Trimester
-Your Birth Plan
And *More on Pregnancy.
A very useful section is the Health Expert Advice. You can scroll through all of the topics to get a better understanding of what the Doctor, Expert, discusses. This is really helpful.
I found this site to be quite informative. Since I'm experiencing symptoms that I have never felt before, this site helps explain what I'm going through. If their are women who are pregnant for the first time this site definitely comes in handy and should be bookmarked.
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Wednesday, March 22, 2006

My first pregnancy was a very unusual one in many ways. I was young, only 18 years old and the father, the same age. We were rebellious, wild, and believed we could survive in the world without the need for family. Before even knowing that I was pregnant we ran away to a small remote town on Vancouver Island, several provinces away from my family.
When we got there I began to bleed and so we assumed that it was my period and left it at that. We were homeless and had no food to eat, or even much for clean clothes. It was about a week after my "period" that I had the feeling that I was pregnant and we immediately went to the walk-in to confirm. The test was negative. In fact we lived in that town for a month and every week we went back and took another test and every week it was negative. We eventually came up with some money and took the trip back to the Okanagan where my sister was living. There we again took another test and it showed as negative. It was October now. My last "period" had been on September 7, and the one before on August 11.
I was beginning to think there was something seriously wrong with me. On halloween we decided to try taking the test at the walk-in one more time. When the doctor came in we were sure we'd here the same thing again but this time to our amazement the test was positive. We were thrilled and over joyed. I don't really remember another time in my life where I was so happy except of course when our son was born. At the same time as I was getting my happy news my mother in manitoba was receiving the news that she had lung cancer and only had 18 months to live. Needless to say I moved back in with my parents, the father, and I were still homeless and my parents needed me.
I stayed there with them through my whole pregnancy and in the last month my mom got really really sick. She was hospitilized and the doctors told us that this was the end, she was no longer eating, or drinking, she was slipping away. On May 16th, at 4:30 in the morning I was brought in. Labour had started and I was looking at facing it alone. I went through 27 hours of hard labour all together and though I can't remember most of it, the nurses said my mom never left my side. I was finally rushed in for an emergency c-section when my son got stuck. As sick as she was she still scrubbed herself up and held my hand through the whole surgery. My mom helped me take care of my son in the hospital while I was healing from surgery, she was two doors down from me. And the day after I went home with him, she came home too. She passed away this last December but we never forgot that my pregnancy, my son, was our miracle baby in so many ways.
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You might have heard stories from family members or friends about the dreaded stretch marks from pregnancy. Stretch marks are red, pink, or purple streaks in the skin, usually over the thighs, buttocks, abdomen, and breasts. They are scars caused by the stretching of the skin, and usually appear in the second half of pregnancy. Only about half of all pregnant women get stretch marks though. They can start out as pink, reddish brown, or dark brown streaks, depending on your skin color. While creams and lotions can keep your skin well moisturized, they do not prevent stretch marks from forming. Most stretch marks fade after delivery to very light lines.
Besides stretch marks, you might notice other skin changes in the second half of your pregnancy. You might notice that your nipples are darker than before becoming pregnant, or that you have a dark line on your skin that runs down your abdomen from your belly button to your pubic hairline, called the linea nigra. You also might have blotchy brown pigmentations on your forehead, nose or cheeks. These skin changes are called melasma or chloasma. They are more common in darker-skinned women. These skin changes are caused by pregnancy hormones, and most of them will also fade or disappear after delivery.
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Tuesday, March 21, 2006

I'm now in my 15th week of pregnancy. I'm 37.5% of the way there! Sadly, over the weekend I had the flu. Now I know how it is to be sick and pregnant and its not fun. I am definitely feeling a lot better today. Thank God! Having the flu is one thing, but when you're pregnant, it is just horrible. I was worried if my baby was going to be okay while I was in the worst physical state. The flu lasted all Sunday and on Monday I was starting to feel a little better. I didn't call the doctor, but maybe I should have. Does anyone think I should have?

Fetal Development
At this stage my baby may be sucking his/her thumb. This might be noticeable if I have an ultrasound now. The baby's bones are getting harder each day. The skin is very thin and transparent; you can see blood vessels through the skin. A very fine hair, Lanugo, covers the body and will continue growing on the baby until around the 26th week of pregnancy.

Maternal Changes
Any time now my uterus will begin rising past my hipbones. It can be felt three to four inches below my navel. My OB should will be measuring "fundal Height" to make sure the baby is growing consistently and adequately. Fundal Height is the distance from the top of the uterus (fundus) to the pubic bone.

If anyone is curious to find out their baby's sex you can get an "educated guess" within the next few weeks by having an ultrasound. I think I'll pass and find out when my baby is born.

Ah, the age old question of whether to color your hair while pregnant or not. Some say YES! Some say NO! So what's the lowdown on changing your 'do?
I understand how it is to have your hair growing super fast, your roots starting to show in a bad bad way. You just want to get in a salon and work on your hair. Plus the scalp massages can be sooo nice. So should you color your hair while pregnant? There are no conclusive studies about whether hair color will have an effect on a developing fetus. But it is recommended that you wait until after the first trimester before you color your hair.
This isn't necessarily for health reasons but because you might not get the desired results if you color your hair during the first trimester. With hormones working into overdrive, your hair might react differently. Also, since morning sickness is particularly high during the first trimester, it might be best to stay away from chemicals and their strong aromas. If you do color, you want to be careful when coloring that the hair color is not directly applied to your scalp. Make sure the salon is well ventiliated so chemicals and fumes are not lingering.
If anything, talk it over with your OB and your hair stylist. Go with what you feel comfortable because ultimately it's your hair.
And your hair might even change on its own! Your hair texture can change during pregnancy and post pregnancy. In fact, a good friend of mine was a blonde during pregnancy and after she gave birth, she was a brunette! And this was with no hair coloring -- it was simply the change in hormones!
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Monday, March 20, 2006

Donald and Melania Trump gave birth to their son early today. Barron William Trump came in at 8 lbs and 5 oz.
From the chatter on the message boards today, the big question is...Barron? Many are wondering what kind of name Barron is for a first name. Let's hope they use the middle name instead.
What do you think of the name Barron?

Names aside, Congrats to Mr. Apprentice and his wife on their new son!

This is somewhat old news, but I think it's a great story. If only all people gave $1000 tips...the world would be a happier place.
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The couple at one of waitress Amanda Newkirk's many tables seemed ordinary enough. The woman ordered a turkey burger, fries and two Coors Lights. The man had a bacon cheeseburger and sweet tea.
Their bill came to $26.35. They left Newkirk $1,000.
Newkirk, seven months pregnant and teary with excitement, read the handwritten note on the check: "Keep the change! Have a great day."
The 19-year-old thought it had to be a joke. But the manager at Ruby Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of the ten $100 bills with a counterfeit-detection pen.
Newkirk couldn't figure out why the couple had given her such a generous tip. She didn't think her service had been very good.
A couple days after the March 7 incident, Newkirk got her answer.
A 28-year-old widow who said she'd been going through a tough time called Newkirk's general manager and said she'd left the tip while at lunch with her fiance.
"It involved a lot more than good service at a great restaurant," said Erin Dogan of Roanoke County. "I didn't need it. It helped someone who ... needed it. God put us there together. God answered my questions."
Dogan, whose husband died last year, said she's a shopaholic and could have easily spent the money at a nearby mall. But she decided to put it to better use.
"It made me feel phenomenal," Dogan said. "It has changed my life."
Newkirk plans to use some of the money to help pay for medical bills related to her pregnancy. But aside from a few national radio and television appearances, life continues as normal for the teen.
"I'm not going to retire with a thousand dollars," she said with a laugh.
Source: San Francisco Chroniclepregnancybabypregnantnew bornmythsinfantweeklypregnancy weeklymaternityexpectingdue dateparenting